Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

Quality of life for working-age Japanese adults declines steadily

The COVID-19 pandemic upended many aspects of everyday life, including socialization, office work, and medical care, but little data was available to quantify how those changes affected quality of life both during the pandemic and over the long term, particularly on a national scale.

10 Jun 2026

Social anxiety disorder now affects one in seven Canadian adults

A new Canadian study has found that social anxiety disorder (SAD) now affects nearly 1 in 7 adults - a 71% increase since 2002 - making it one of the most common mental health challenges in the country.

10 Jun 2026

Why Andes hantavirus is not the next COVID-19

Research highlights fundamental differences between Andes hantavirus and SARS-CoV-2, emphasizing distinct transmission routes and public health implications.

10 Jun 2026

Food security review shows how countries can protect staple crops from global shocks

A systematic review of 105 studies found that climate change, water scarcity, land-use change, biofuel demand, trade disruptions, pandemics and conflict are major threats to maize, rice and wheat supplies. The authors identify international trade, agricultural innovation, virtual water trading and well-managed food stockpiles as practical ways to strengthen food security.

9 Jun 2026

Experimental two‑in‑one vaccine shows success in human LASSARAB trial

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have reported encouraging results from the first human clinical trial of LASSARAB, an experimental vaccine designed to protect against Lassa fever and rabies in a single formulation.

9 Jun 2026

Study links menstrual cycle timing to COVID vaccine side effects

A study of 1,474 Clue app users found that women vaccinated against COVID-19 during the follicular phase had higher odds of self-reported side effects than those vaccinated during the luteal phase.

8 Jun 2026

New project launches to advance chikungunya vaccine in Africa

Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, a new €15.3 million project coordinated by Institut Pasteur brings together seven partners across four continents to advance clinical trials and prepare for the manufacturing of a chikungunya vaccine in Africa.

8 Jun 2026

Melanoma disproportionately impacts Florida's senior population

Florida's year-round sunshine and intense ultraviolet (UV) exposure help drive one of the nation's heaviest skin cancer burdens, with older adults shouldering much of the impact.

8 Jun 2026

Antibiotic by-products in waterways continue promoting bacterial resistance

Antibiotics continue to drive resistance to bacteria, even after they are broken down in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers and seas, new research published on World Oceans Day has shown for the first time.

8 Jun 2026

NHS online diabetes program improves blood sugar and pressure

NHS England's Healthy Living program offers modest diabetes improvements; addressing engagement and access could enhance its public health effectiveness.

8 Jun 2026

New open-access COVID-19 dataset supports reproducible clinical research

The Biostatistics Unit at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in collaboration with researchers from several Catalan healthcare and research institutions, has published the DIVINE study database in Scientific Data, a Nature Portfolio journal.

5 Jun 2026

Universal Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine proves safe in first human trial

The first human clinical trial of a universal Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine, developed by the University of Cambridge and spin-out DIOSynVax (DVX) Ltd, has shown that the vaccine is safe and has no significant side-effects.

4 Jun 2026

Fast food is crowding out grocery access across the U.S.

A 20-year analysis of US neighborhood foodscapes found that food swamps became more common from 2003 to 2023, while food deserts showed little improvement. Rural communities and people relying on public transport faced the greatest barriers to reaching healthy food retailers.

4 Jun 2026

Study links remote work to increased isolation and depression

The rise in remote work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased time spent alone and worsened workers' mental health, according to a new study based on survey data from more than 500,000 Americans.

4 Jun 2026

New BioCoach AI provides real-time biomechanical feedback for exercises

As any athlete will tell you: perfect practice makes perfect. But for individuals who do not have regular access to coaches or trainers, maintaining good form can be tricky.

4 Jun 2026

Study links rural living to worse epilepsy health outcomes

For people with epilepsy, living in counties that are more rural was associated with poorer health outcomes than for people living in more urban counties, according to a study published June 3, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jun 2026

Cross-reactive T cells target measles and dangerous Nipah viruses

T cells are some of the immune system's most important warriors. They can stop tumor growth and even fight off severe infections.

2 Jun 2026

New imaging method distinguishes inflammation from lung fibrosis

A new SPECT/CT imaging approach can accurately differentiate inflammation from fibrosis in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients, according to new research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2026 Annual Meeting.

1 Jun 2026

Study reveals inequities in wastewater-based disease outbreak detection systems

Wastewater surveillance was hailed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a more equitable way to track disease.

27 May 2026

Heart health before pandemic influenced severity of COVID-19 infections

Better heart health before the pandemic was linked to a lower risk of severe COVID-19 events, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2026